Friday, May 25, 2012

Abiline is on fruit strike. Well, she kind of has been since she decided that she didn't like baby food anymore--which was pretty much a month or two after she started eating it. I make her a smoothie every day to trick her into some fruit consumption (and to add some greens and avocado, too). When we were at Trader Joe's last week, she picked up a box of chocolate-covered bananas and put them in the cart; I didn't buy them, but I was intrigued by a way to perhaps get her to eat bananas. Why not try chocolate yogurt-covered frozen bananas? It seemed easier to me to use mini-muffin cups than to try to dip the bananas in the yogurt. These mini frozen yogurt cups also have the advantage of being small, which suits my kids who are always insisting, "I want a little bite!" As you can see from the picture, they get melty pretty quick, so I recommend keeping them in mini-muffin liners and peeling back the paper as you eat them so that everyone's fingers don't get too sticky. Or Abiline and Sawyer actually ate theirs with a fork. Trust me, we're not usually so refined.

For the chocolate yogurt:
3/4 cup plain non-dairy yogurt (I use homemade.)
1 heaping Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
5 pitted dates, soaked for a few hours to soften them, or microwaved for a minute and then drained
1/8 tsp. pure stevia powder (may not be necessary if you use yogurt that has some sweetener in it)

For the banana cream filling:
1 ripe banana
2 Tbsp. coconut butter

1. Prepare a min-muffin pan with cupcake liners. If you want bigger portions, you could of course use 6 regular muffin cups instead.
2. Prepare the chocolate yogurt by buzzing all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender until totally smooth.
3. Transfer the yogurt to a bowl, clean out the blender or food processor and then puree the banana and coconut butter until smooth.
4. Spoon a generous teaspoon of chocolate yogurt into the bottom of each mini-muffin cup. Top with a generous teaspoon of banana cream filling, and then top the filling with another heaping teaspoon of yogurt. If you are using regular-sized muffin cups, then use 1-2 tablespoons of each.
5. Freeze the cups for a few hours to firm them up. I found that bigger muffin cups take much longer to get totally frozen: about 2-3 hours for the mini cups, but 5-6 for the big ones.

We are having some pretty warm days here now, so it was time this week to bust out the water games. As you can see, the kids had a blast. Just a $2 pack of paintbrushes from Ikea and a large pot of cold water, and we had some good, clean fun. Or, it was clean until they started to add dirt and make "soup" in the pot.

Last week I went to a vegan restaurant with a friend and had a sandwich with some amazing cashew ricotta on it. The menu actually said that anyone with nut allergies was discouraged from eating there because of cross-contamination issues from all the nut cheeses they make. Sad for my kids; sad for me that I can't experiment with making delicious nut cheese at home. So I started thinking, what else could I use for home-made cheese? I had been reading about home-made fermented cheeses made from cashews and wanted to see if I could adapt this idea for the nut-allergic. Why not try it with beans?

Beans, of course, have the requisite protein but lack the fat that I think would be needed for anything to really be cheese-like, so I decided to add the cream from the top of the coconut milk to create a better protein/fat ratio. Hence was born this chickpea cheese. I let it ferment for 24 hours, which made it really tangy; if you don't want too much tang, then start tasting it after 12 hours and then keep checking back every few hours until the "cheese" suits your taste. I love the taste; if you were ever a fan of strong cheeses like feta and goat cheese like I was, I think you will be a fan, too. I have been dipping pita chips in it, and both Abiline and I enjoyed a grilled chickpea cheese for snack today. I think this cheese would also make a great lasagna layer. I am excited about the possibilities; this was so easy!

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cream skimmed from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk
2-4 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. chickpea miso (You could sub mellow white soy-based miso if you don't have a soy allergy.)
1/2-1 tsp salt, to taste (Depends on how salty your chickpeas are. Mine are not very salty because I use home-cooked rather than canned, so I added about 1/2 tsp. salt.)

1. Puree the chickpeas, coconut milk, and chickpea miso. Add the water a tablespoon at a time until you have a smooth consistency, with no chickpea chunks remaining. The mixture should be a dough that you can form into a ball.
2. Scoop the chickpea mixture into a small glass or ceramic bowl and cover tightly with cheesecloth. Place the bowl in a warm spot on the counter-top to ferment (I like by the stove or on top of the toaster oven). Taste it after about 12 hours, then keep checking every few hours if it isn't tangy enough for you yet.
3. Once you decide that it is done fermenting, place the "cheese" in your food processor and add salt, about 1/4 tsp. at a time, until the flavor suits your taste. Keep the finished cheese in the refrigerator.

Friday, May 18, 2012

My so-sweet Abiline is approaching two years of age and has turned into the tantrum monster. Every day this past week I have been caught off guard by yet another raging blow out. Given her performance the last few days, I am not sure why I deluded myself into thinking that running errands with the kids this morning was a good plan. I made the mistake of taking them to Ikea to get a new, higher bathroom stool so that Sawyer can wash his hands by himself. It seemed so simple, but the task was complicated by the incessant squabbling, hitting, whining, and then me clutching to my cool while seething through my teeth. In the future, when I have to put my child[ren] in time out as we are leaving for an outing, I should probably reconsider even going. Or is that too drastic? I need to be able to get things done, but today I just had one too many days of being the public spectacle interrupting the tranquility of everyone's shopping trips. Why is it that everyone else's kids always seem so mellow? Ugh. And I still have to do the grocery shopping today after nap-time....

I suppose every day is a struggle in its own way, and I can either get all sour about it, or make lemonade. I have tried going to the store by myself after the kids go to bed at night, and you know what? I usually feel lonely; I don't like it anymore than when I tackle the job with my two bundles of loveable chaos. So what is the key to an enjoyable shopping trip? Not well-behaved children, or no children--just patience, I think. Oh how I wish I had more of it!

But on to the recipe, perfect for a day when I am trying to make lemonade out of this lemon of a morning!

1. Preheat oven to 350 and oil a nine inch square pan.
2. In your food processor, grind the rolled oats into flour. Add the oat bran, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine. Add poppy seeds and lemon zest and pulse a few times to mix them in to the rest of the dry ingredients. Then add the oil, agave, and lemon juice, and pulse again until the mixture is crumbly and evenly moistened.
3. Press 1/2 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, and reserve the other 1/2 in a bowl. Clean out the food processor work bowl and add the filling ingredients; blend until smooth and then spoon the yogurt filling evenly over the bottom crust.
4. Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the filling. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 mins. Let the bars cool completely before cutting, or else they will be messy.

Yes, this was another tumultuous outing--what made us ever think that the kids would ride quietly in a bike trailer together? Luckily, we still have a baby seat on my bike, so we can separate them when things get ugly back there.

I have a horrible record when it comes to picking out watermelon. My dad gets it right almost every time. What is my problem? I think it has been years since I picked one that was spot-on delicious. Usually my watermelons are flavorless and/or mushy. So, what do we do after investing at least $5 in yet another watermelon disappointment? I either choke down the whole thing myself, figuring I should pay the price for my own error, or I freeze chunks for smoothies. Yesterday I didn't have time to freeze the chunks of the latest bland watermelon purchase, so I blended them up with some ice and avocado. Watermelon coolers like this are hardly my invention, but I thought the avocado was a nice, creamy twist and wanted to share it with any of you who, like me, need new ways to enjoy the inevitable insipid watermelon of the season. Cheers!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Yesterday was a Mothers' Day to remember. I was deep asleep, when Abiline woke
up an hour earlier than usual (7 rather than 8) and chanted my name
for 45 mins., refusing to go back to sleep. Then Sawyer woke up
early, and there was no ignoring the unwelcome wake-up call any
longer. At least we got to church almost on time because we started
getting ready early—no thanks to me spilling Sawyer's juice all
over my purse as soon as we got the kids in the stroller to head out.
The highlight of the morning was coming down the stairs and seeing
the beautiful picture of our family that Anthony drew me for my gift.

I
taught the lesson in Relief Society at church today, and I am so grateful it
went well. Abiline made me a beautiful necklace in Nursery, and
in Primary Sawyer made me a paper-cut out vase with flowers on it saying that he
is thankful I'm his mommy. Those hand-made gifts really are so precious to a mommy. Sawyer went up with the primary
kids to sing the Mother's Day song during Sacrament meeting, but I
had to stay with him, and he refused to sing because, he said, “I'm
just not used to it yet, Mom.” Pretty insightful. Then things went down hill
when I walked the kids home from church by myself while Anthony went
to a meeting, and Abiline decided to throw her biggest tantrum yet
when we got home. I'm sure it was because she was “hangry,” but
I couldn't get her to eat. After about a half an hour of her
screaming, I thought I was going to lose my mind. Finally, I got her
to take a bite and she started calming down right when Anthony came
in the door. At least she let me take a nap for half an hour after lunch before
waking up and serenading me with “Baaaaaby BaWOOOga!”

We
had a relaxed afternoon playing in the dirt at the middle school
behind our house. Abiline did an awesome job on her dinner, scarfing
down her lasagna. I was so close to getting her to bed on time; she
was eating her “bababums” (vitamins) while I read her story, and
all of a sudden she was choking on one. When we got it dislodged from
her throat, her whole dinner came out along with the offending
vitamin fragment. I am of course grateful beyond words that the
vitamin came up and all was well, but it is always a bummer when a
good dinner gets puked up. All in all, a Mother's Day to remember.
My favorite part of the day: Sawyer coming up to me and
saying, “Mommy, I think I am falling in love with you.” I hope I never forget that moment. I hope I can remember it next time not so pleasant words come out of his mouth.

As for my Mother's Day breakfast in bed--well, I am the type who makes her own Mother's Day breakfast and is perfectly happy with that because then I get to eat exactly what I want. I made this chocolate blackberry buckwheat cereal on Saturday, and on Sunday I used some of it to make double chocolate blackberry pancakes. As you can see, both desserts, I mean breakfasts, got Abiline's seal of approval.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spread the buckwheat (and oats, if using) on a cookie sheet and toast for 10 mins, stir, then toast for 10 mins. more. (Buckwheat alone will make for a much crunchier cereal. I make it with oatmeal sometimes to soften up the texture for my 22 month old daughter.)

2. While the buckwheat is toasting, microwave the blackberries and chocolate chips for about a minute, to defrost the berries and melt the chocolate chips. Add the berries and chocolate to your food processor, and add the cocoa powder, agave, and orange extract. Buzz until berries are pureed and everything is well combined.

3. Remove the buckwheat from the oven and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Pour the chocolate blackberry mixture over the buckwheat and stir until the cereal is evenly coated. Let cool completely before eating. Be sure to store the cereal in the fridge.

For the Double-Chocolate Blackberry Pancakes:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 cup frozen blackberries, thawed

2 Tbsp. grapeseed or coconut oil

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 c. buckwheat flour, oat flour, or 1/3 c. of each

1/3 c. cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chocolate blackberry buckwheat cereal

1/3 c. chocolate chips, ground or whole

1/3 c. frozen blackberries, plus extra for garnish

1. Preheat your pancake griddle at 325 or heat a frying pan over medium heat. Be sure to oil the griddle/ pan if it's not really non-stick. In a food processor, puree the quinoa, milk, blackberries, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients from the food processor. Stir until evenly combined and moistened. Fold in the buckwheat cereal, chocolate chips, and frozen blackberries.

3. Pour the batter by 1/4 cup-fulls onto your heated cook surface and fry 2-3 minutes per side. I loved them topped with extra berries and bananas; no syrup needed!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

So....black beans in your ice cream probably doesn't sound delicious. But, it is. Trust me on this one; you have to try this combo. This improbable ice cream recipe began with me trying to make the chocolate pumpkin pudding from The Everyday Vegan without looking at the recipe. The texture wasn't quite right, I'm sure due to me trying to throw it together from memory after looking over the recipe a few days earlier. So I decided to try adding some black beans to thicken it up. Black bean brownies work, so why not black bean pudding? And why not black bean pudding turned into ice cream with black bean brownies in it?! Why not indeed. And there you have it: the thought process that led to this successful marriage of healthy and indulgent.

There are many, many black bean brownie recipes out there. The one I use here is my favorite so far, which I put together after seeing a number of flourless black bean brownie recipes posted recently, but finding none without sugar and without eggs. I have been giving these to Abiline and Sawyer as a good-for-you treat. Good-for-you treat? These recipes certainly show that those two things really can co-exist.

For the brownies:
1 1/2 cups black beans, or 1 can drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup pitted dates, soaked for a few hours to soften them, and then drained
(or microwave them for a few minutes covered in water and then drain them)
1/2 cup cocoa powder

1. To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 350 and oil a 9x9 inch baking pan. Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth it out with the back of a rubber scraper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the brownies cool completely. This makes way more than you need for the ice cream, which means lots of brownie sundaes.
2. To make the ice cream, in a blender or food processor whip together all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and brownie chunks. Make sure you get the mixture totally smooth. Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
3. Near the end of the freezing time, right before the ice cream is all set up and ready, gradually pour in the chopped chocolate chips and brownie chunks. Let the ice cream maker stir them in until evenly distributed. If you don't eat all of this ice cream right away, then be sure to take the leftovers out of the freezer 15 minutes before you want to eat them, to soften the ice cream up and make it scoop-able again.

If you think this recipe is a bit off the beaten path, well check this out:

Have you ever seen a man riding a bicycle with a giant remote-controlled shark balloon tied to the handlebars? The mask just completes the look (thanks polluted Southern California air.). Well, if you saw him--that was my husband. No further questions please.

Monday, May 7, 2012

I love baked rice dishes because they are so low-maintenance. I remember my first experience with cooking rice as a teenager; I burned the rice completely to the pan because I wasn't watching it and apparently didn't know enough to set a timer to remind me to check on it. My saintly father spent quite some time scrubbing off the blackened rice remains clinging to the pan. In retrospect, I'm not sure why he didn't make me clean it up myself! This tropical rice dish prevents any such catastrophes: Just pop the rice in the oven for an easy side dish to any meal of tacos, burritos, enchiladas, whatever suits your fancy. Or just add some black beans and make this a meal in itself. If you find yourself with some leftover rice, like I did tonight, you can make it into a super-yummy black bean soup, the recipe for which I included here, too.

Preheat the oven to 400 and oil a 9x13 inch baking pan. Mix all of the ingredients in the pan, except for the mango. Cover the pan with foil and bake for one hour. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Remove the rice from the oven and stir in the diced mango. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

If you have leftover, please do make the soup, which Anthony described as "awesome."

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, sweet potato, and carrot, and cook until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the rice, beans, spices, and enough water to cover everything. Bring to a low boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the sweet potato and carrot are very soft.
2. While the soup cooks, heat the coconut oil in a large skillet and dice the plantain. Brown the plantain in the hot oil for a few minutes, until browned and soft.
3. Transfer a little more than half of the soup to the blender and add the coconut milk and orange juice. Blend until smooth, and then pour back into the pot and mix with the unblended portion of the soup. Serve hot with the fried plantains on top.

In other Cinco de Mayo weekend fun, everyone had a great time when our cousin, baby Weston, came to visit. Now every baby Abiline sees is "baby Wessuhn!"

Friday, May 4, 2012

A few years ago, Anthony bought me a waffle-maker for Christmas. The funny thing is, I actually don't like waffles that much--he does. But whoever those waffles were for, the sad thing was that no matter what I did, every waffle I made stuck to that iron. We had a number of meals in which we had plates piled high with waffle bits, with not a single whole waffle to be found among the rubble. After a while, we just tossed that waffle-maker; no amount of waffle bits were worth the misery of the clean-up that thing required.

Anthony was disappointed, but I did not feel the loss too acutely until at age two Sawyer discovered that he loved Whole Foods' frozen mini waffles. At almost $3 a box, his mini-waffle obsession sent me on a new waffle-maker quest. If any of you have been searching for a waffle iron lately, you may have noticed, like I did, that there is no waffle maker out there that doesn't have a bunch of negative reviews complaining, "No matter what I do, the waffles stick!" Well, I didn't want another useless appliance, so I gave up. Fast-forward to last Christmas when my sister gave me a Circus Animal Waffler that makes Belgian-style waffles. And then my mother-in-law gave me another one that makes the waffles with the little holes! These wafflers doesn't have stellar reviews online, and I don't know why because they have been great for us: the waffles don't stick, and the kids love the shapes. I make a batch of waffles every week with our waffle-makers, store them in the freezer, and save a bundle of money over store-bought frozen waffles. Plus I can make so many different kinds!

Until recently, I have been nervous about making up my own waffle recipe--afraid that if I strayed from the tried and true ones, the waffles would stick to the iron. But I finally got brave enough a few nights ago and made the first batch of waffles that I--the waffle skeptic--love. They were born from this awesome peaches and cream sweet potato pudding that we were eating as a side to a baked barley casserole. You could also use the batter to make great pancakes, I'm sure, if you don't have a waffle-maker. I recommend that you enjoy the sweet potatoes as a dinner side dish, and then make the waffles (or pancakes) the next day with extra peaches and cream sweet potatoes on top. Yum! As an added bonus, these recipes are a great way to get extra fruits and vegetables into your kids.

1. To prep. the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 400. Scrub the
potatoes, place them on a baking sheet, and bake them in the pre-heated
oven for about an hour, until very, very soft. When you put the sweet
potatoes in the oven, put your frozen peaches in a bowl on the counter
to thaw.

1. To make the waffles, preheat your waffle iron or skillet. In your food processor, blend the pumpkin seeds and oatmeal until ground. Pour into a large mixing bowl and mix in the barley flour, salt, baking powder, and coconut sugar.
2. Clean out your food processor work bowl and puree the peaches. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the sweet potato pudding, peaches, oil, and 1 cup of milk. Stir just until combined. You want the batter to be thick, but easily spreadable on your waffle iron. If necessary, add additional milk.
3. Cook according to your waffle maker instructions, or fry up as pancakes in your skillet. These didn't even need butter and syrup on top; I just ate them straight out of hand.

Here is Sawyer having a grand time drawing some sort of monster--probably the Backson from Winnie the Pooh. He loves to draw, just like Daddy.

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About Me

I am a stay-at-home mom blessed with two children with multiple food allergies: dairy, eggs, soy, corn, flaxseed, nuts and peanuts, to be specific. Luckily for them, I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen. Occasionally I triumph, and they really like what I come up with.